While many, many companies have introduced AI-driven chatbots in recent years, the bots have largely been limited to voice and text interactions with customers. The next generation of AI bots may include enhanced video chat with human-like avatars that can be customized by the company deploying them, enabling them to engage in customer-driven activities such as detailed product demonstrations.
eSelf, a platform that will allow companies to create face-to-face conversational AI agents, recently launched its official solution and announced $4.5 million in seed funding, to boot. The round was led by Explorer Investments, with participation from Ridge Ventures and strategic angel investors, including Eyal Manor, former VP of Engineering at YouTube and Chief Product and Engineering Officer at Twilio.
eSelf noted that its platform "has already powered millions of real-time conversations," with notable clients including Christie's and Brazil's AGI Bank. The platform enables businesses to deploy highly customizable, human-like AI agents that interact seamlessly with customers through real-time video chats.
In the announcement, eSelf noted that its cofounders developed the platform "to enable businesses to create and deploy customized AI agents that can engage in face-to-face video conversations with customers, while seamlessly integrating with existing business systems and processes." Through the company's self-service studio, businesses can configure their agents' personality, knowledge base and capabilities without requiring technical expertise. The platform integrates directly with business tools like Salesforce and Calendly, allowing agents to access real-time information about products and services, and perform actions such as scheduling appointments.
"We've developed a unified engine that processes speech, understanding and visual elements simultaneously, allowing us to achieve response times of under one second which is crucial for natural conversation," said CEO Dr. Alan Bekker, a pioneer in deep learning in Israel and former Head of Conversational AI at Snap. "Unlike other solutions that simply animate faces for voice responses, our platform is a complete visual comprehension engine. This means our AI agents can actively engage with visuals in real-time — showcasing property tours, educational content, or presentation slides during conversations. By enabling businesses to create sophisticated, customized agents through our self-service studio, we aim to transform how they engage with customers at scale."
Edited by
Alex Passett
